Page 11 of Stormy Knight

She knew she couldn’t live like this forever. Constantly on edge, always expecting the worst. But she also knew she couldn’t go back to the life she had left behind. The violence with Paul, the mystery of the stalking—too many things didn’t add up.

Her ex had a temper, sure. He’d always been possessive. But the attack had been unexpected. That was something else entirely. The thought of him showing up in Texas Creek, too, made her stomach churn. She’d told the cops everything she knew about Paul, but they hadn’t been able to make any solid connections to it being him that was stalking her. And whatcould they really do? Not much. As far as they were concerned, he wasn’t guilty until they could prove otherwise.

It wasn’t just Paul that kept her up at night. It was the feeling the stalker, whoever they were, was out there, still playing their twisted game. Had they found her? Was being in Texas really an escape—or just a way for the nightmare to follow her wherever she went? Stormy wasn’t sure if it was the loneliness she hated more, or the fact it gave her too much time to think.

She needed to call Whiskey, needed to be honest, to reach out. But the thought of seeing her again, of facing the woman who’d always been so unflinchinglytherefor her, made her feel raw in a way she wasn’t ready for. Not with the bruises still fresh, the ones on her face and the ones buried deeper, the ones no makeup could cover.

The mirror in the hallway caught her eye as she crossed back through the kitchen. She avoided it. There was no point in looking at what she already knew: the purple under her left eye, the fading scrape on her chin, the split lip that, despite being covered with a dab of concealer, was still a painful reminder of everything she’d been trying to forget. She had gotten good at hiding the physical scars—hell, she’d even learned how to smile through them. But some things didn’t fade so easily.

Maybe she could just wait another day. Though each day felt like a little more distance between her and the person she used to be—before all ofthis. The woman who could handle things. Who could fix things. Who could count on herself. Whiskey would see through the mask, though. She always did.

Still, maybe it would be easier to put it off. Maybe a few more days to gather herself, to heal a little, before facing her friend. Maybe if she could convince herself that hiding out for just a bit longer wasn’treallyrunning away.

But that wouldn’t work, would it? The call would have to come, eventually. Whiskey wouldn’t wait forever. With areluctant sigh, she reached for her phone, her finger hovering over Whiskey’s name.Maybe I could just explain—but the thought of her friend’s inevitable questions made her stomach tighten. She’d have to tell the truth, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that conversation. The sound of Whiskey answering relaxed her. “Hello.”

“Bitch, where are you?” Stormy heard the baby in the background and smiled. Whiskey was a great mom.

“Who you calling a bitch, hooker?” Whiskey laughed, hearing Stormy’s voice as she continued feeding the baby.

Stormy chuckled. “I’m in town.” Her words were met with silence. She tried not sighing. She’d done that enough lately. “I wanted to settle in and get some work done before I called you.”

“How long, Stormy?”

Shit. She heard the accusatory tone in Whiskey’s voice. It was the voice of a mother disappointed in their child. “Two days.”

“Stormy.”

Sooner than later she’d have to tell Whiskey the truth. The truth being that she’d been in Texas Creek for almost a week. “A week.”

Whiskey walked out of the nursery straight into the office where Jackson was speaking with Monroe and Reeves behind closed doors. She couldn’t care less about what they were talking about. “Hold the baby,” she snapped at Jackson as she handed off Effie along with the baby’s bottle.

Holding up her finger to stop him from speaking, she walked out of the office before she went off on Stormy. The problem with her exit was she forgot to shut the door. “What do you mean you’ve been in town for a week and haven’t called me? Do not tell me it was because of work. That’s bullshit and we both know it. What did that asshole do to you that you don’t want me to see?”

She could hide nothing from Whiskey. The woman was like a bloodhound on an escaped convict. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine, meet me at La Familia.” Whiskey would see through the mask, though. She always did.

The thought of her friend’s inevitable questions made her stomach tighten. She’d have to tell the truth, and Stormy wasn’t sure she was ready for that conversation. And to go to the family restaurant would put her in a situation where she might see Reeves. “Not there. Anywhere but there, Whiskey.”

Whiskey stomped her foot, pissed at her best friend. “There or not at all.” Turning around, she saw Reeves looming over her. Shaking her head, Whiskey pointed a firm finger back towards the office. When Reeves remained, she snapped her fingers. She glared at Jackson until he told Reeves to get back into the office.

Stormy remembered how amazing the food was at the restaurant. She hadn’t had good Spanish food since she was there for Effie’s christening.

To be honest, anything Spanish was right up her alley. Men, wine, food, if Spanish was the term to describe it, she was all in. That was how she ended up falling for the youngest Salvador brother. Who could resist the allure of the Salvador brothers? Especially the youngest one. Reeves. His smile alone could convince her to abandon all her carefully laid-out plans. “Fine. I’ll meet you there, but do not tell your husband.”

Whiskey rolled her eyes. Did Stormy believe Jackson wouldn’t know where she was going? “I don’t have to. He knows me well enough to know where I’ll be.”

“Great.” Great! If Jackson knew she was in town, so did Monroe and Reeves. The last thing she wanted was for Reeves Salvador to see her looking less than perfect.

Her mind wandered back to the time when she’d first met him. The bar had been packed when she, Whiskey, and Parker had entered. The air had been heavy with the sounds of music and the smell of different perfumes mixed with colognes. And in the midst of it all, there had been Reeves—charming, magnetic, and completely impossible to forget.

“See you within the hour. And, Stormy, I want the truth. All of it.”

What would it hurt to see Whiskey? She knew how to navigate around the obvious bruises on her face. They could grab a bite to eat, then she’d come back and get some work done. “I’ll see you soon Whiskey.” Hanging up Stormy did not want to spend lunch listening to her best friend bitching about her poor choices in men.

With her mood deteriorating, Whiskey told Jackson she was heading to the restaurant to meet Stormy. She was more than ready to find out what was going on with her best friend. “Hang on.” She heard Jackson say, stopping her.

“Jackson, I’m headed to La Familia.” Nothing could go wrong if she was at the restaurant. Could it? Whiskey gathered up her daughter from her husband and waited for him to comment.

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